Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam

Brief Introduction of Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam created a lot of word records, among which the greatest and most impressive one is its Five-stage Ship Lock.

Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam is the biggest ship lock in the world. It is 6.4 kilometers long. It has a vertical difference of 113 meters. That means the upstream ships would have to climb over the 40-floor high ship lock. Five-stage Ship Lock acts as an elevator which raises and lowers ships to cross Three Gorges Dam. It is capable of lifting a cargo ship of 14,000 tons to a height of 113 meters.

The design and the construction of the ship lock were extremely difficult and sophisticated. It is hard to construct a lock which could such a big water pressure. The designers designed the five-stage lock to relieve the big water pressure. Each lock could raise or lower a ship about 20 meters. It will take about half an hour to cross Three Gorges Dam.

Records Created by Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam

The Biggest Ship Lock in the World

18 mountains were moved for the construction of the Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam. It is also the most difficult ship lock project in the world.

The Biggest Gate in the World

The Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam has 24 miter gates. Most of the gates are 38.5 meters high, 20 meters wide, 3 meters thick and weighs 850 tons. Each of them is as large as two basketball courts. These gates are called "Biggest Gates in the World".

The Highest Liner-structured Ship Lock in the World

The Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam is a liner structure which worked with the rock body. The structure reaches 70 meters at its highest which is the highest among the liner-structured ship locks in the world.

The Ship Lock with Most Grades in the World

The Five-stage Ship Lock of Three Gorges Dam has five grades. It is the ship lock with most grades in the world so far.